Decision on Ponder's option may not be easy

[dead_poet]

All you have to do is write the name "Christian Ponder" here and the craziness and vitriol just flow.

Grandfather says if you say Ponder's name thrice in front of a mirror Demi will appear behind you and mock you until you die.

[Mothman]

Grandfather says if you say Ponder's name thrice in front of a mirror Demi will appear behind you and mock you until you die.

I don't believe you. I'll bet it takes fewer than 3 times.

[Mothman]

The fact that there was an uproar and like a 5 page thread over Ponder being kept over McLeod freakin Bethel-Thompson when they signed Freeman last year is all you need to know.

LOL! That and the fact that people were still complaining in December about the number of snaps Ponder played in the first preseason game.

[Purple bruise]

I was hoping, before the coaching change, that he could get a "fresh start" with a new team but Zimmer has come out and said that every player (probably not AD ) needs to come in, with a fresh slate and prove themselves. So IF the Vikes keep him around for the 2014 season, and there is a fair open competition, I will be quite interested to see how he does 1) being healthy 2) having a real OC to play under (Muskelung might be the worst ever) 3) actually having a real QB coach and not someone that was clueless and never coached QB's before, as he has had for the last 3 years 4) having Rudolph back and healthy (he and Ponder have a great chemistry).
If anyone is counting on the "King Cassell" to lead this team anywhere, then there will be huge disappointment across the land IMO (if you doubt that fact rewatch last year's Bengals game). He is a journeyman QB at best and getting older every year. I would still hope that the Vikes draft a new QB (hoping for JFB) but would not mind them taking a 2nd or 3rd rounder.
That all being said, if they trade or cut Ponder, I will be fine with that decision and will look forward to the 2014 season regardless. But I bet that he will be the first to learn the new system and will work his butt off to try and make it back as a starter either with the Vikes or somewhere else.
For all you haters, knock your selves out

[King James]

I was hoping, before the coaching change, that he could get a "fresh start" with a new team but Zimmer has come out and said that every player (probably not AD ) needs to come in, with a fresh slate and prove themselves. So IF the Vikes keep him around for the 2014 season, and there is a fair open competition, I will be quite interested to see how he does 1) being healthy 2) having a real OC to play under (Muskelung might be the worst ever) 3) actually having a real QB coach and not someone that was clueless and never coached QB's before, as he has had for the last 3 years 4) having Rudolph back and healthy (he and Ponder have a great chemistry).
If anyone is counting on the "King Cassell" to lead this team anywhere, then there will be huge disappointment across the land IMO (if you doubt that fact rewatch last year's Bengals game). He is a journeyman QB at best and getting older every year. I would still hope that the Vikes draft a new QB (hoping for JFB) but would not mind them taking a 2nd or 3rd rounder.
That all being said, if they trade or cut Ponder, I will be fine with that decision and will look forward to the 2014 season regardless. But I bet that he will be the first to learn the new system and will work his butt off to try and make it back as a starter either with the Vikes or somewhere else.
For all you haters, knock your selves out

This may be the 1st post from you that I actually 100% agree with.

[Purple bruise]

This may be the 1st post from you that I actually 100% agree with.

Who would have thought it

[VikingPaul73]

But you have to assess the probability of that happening vs. the probability that he could prove himself worth keeping as a backup. I'd say the later is many, many times more likely than that light switch suddenly flipping. And because of that, his continuing as a backup QB is the real-world best case scenario for the Vikings - that they don't have to write him off as a total bust. By exercising the 5th year option, it becomes a near certainty that they'll be forced to cut him after the season. It just makes no sense for the Vikings to paint themselves into that corner.

To put another way.......the odds of Ponder getting hurt and the Vikes being forced to pay him in 2015 despite another predictably bad 2014 season, are orders of magnitude higher than Ponder doing something in 2014 to warrant $10 million in 2015.

Risk >>>>>>>>> reward

Just my opinion

[Purple bruise]

Yeah, it can really get nasty.

And yet I read one poster "Swear" that he was completely done posting about Ponder

[Mothman]

I was hoping, before the coaching change, that he could get a "fresh start" with a new team but Zimmer has come out and said that every player (probably not AD ) needs to come in, with a fresh slate and prove themselves. So IF the Vikes keep him around for the 2014 season, and there is a fair open competition, I will be quite interested to see how he does 1) being healthy 2) having a real OC to play under (Muskelung might be the worst ever) 3) actually having a real QB coach and not someone that was clueless and never coached QB's before, as he has had for the last 3 years

I don't think Musgrave was nearly as bad as as you're implying and I'm not sure where you got the idea that Craig Johnson had never coached QBs before. He was the QB coach for the Titans before joining the Vikings coaching staff. He also coached QBs at Northwestern and the University of Maryland.

On the other hand, Scott Turner, the new, "real" QB coach has never coached the position in the NFL and has only been a quarterbacks coach once (for the UNLV rebels from 2002-04). He has less experience than the previous QB coach!

[Purple bruise]

I don't think Musgrave was nearly as bad as as you're implying and I'm not sure where you got the idea that Craig Johnson had never coached QBs before. He was the QB coach for the Titans before joining the Vikings coaching staff. He also coached QBs at Northwestern and the University of Maryland.

On the other hand, Scott Turner, the new, "real" QB coach has never coached the position in the NFL and has only been a quarterbacks coach once (for the UNLV rebels from 2002-04). He has less experience than the previous QB coach!

You are correct, I misread an article that said that the new QB coach had no QB coaching experience. Thanks, as always for you correction.

[Texas Vike]

I don't think Musgrave was nearly as bad as as you're implying and I'm not sure where you got the idea that Craig Johnson had never coached QBs before. He was the QB coach for the Titans before joining the Vikings coaching staff. He also coached QBs at Northwestern and the University of Maryland.

On the other hand, Scott Turner, the new, "real" QB coach has never coached the position in the NFL and has only been a quarterbacks coach once (for the UNLV rebels from 2002-04). He has less experience than the previous QB coach!

Yes, but nepotism always implies quality and merit, doesn't it?

I anticipate seeing what the new crew thinks of Ponder too. It will be one of the more interesting story lines this fall.

[Mothman]

You are correct, I misread an article that said that the new QB coach had no QB coaching experience. Thanks, as always for you correction.

You're welcome. I'm glad you didn't take offense.

Yes, but nepotism always implies quality and merit, doesn't it?

LOL!

I anticipate seeing what the new crew thinks of Ponder too. It will be one of the more interesting story lines this fall.[/quote

... or even this summer, in training camp. It will also be interesting to see how he responds to them.

[Purple bruise]

I don't think Musgrave was nearly as bad as as you're implying and I'm not sure where you got the idea that Craig Johnson had never coached QBs before. He was the QB coach for the Titans before joining the Vikings coaching staff. He also coached QBs at Northwestern and the University of Maryland.

On the other hand, Scott Turner, the new, "real" QB coach has never coached the position in the NFL and has only been a quarterbacks coach once (for the UNLV rebels from 2002-04). He has less experience than the previous QB coach!

Lets hope for any of the Viking QBs that Norv is "watching" closely. And obtw what gives you any idea what so ever that Musgrave did not suck as an OC??

[Mothman]

Lets hope for any of the Viking QBs that Norv is "watching" closely. And obtw what gives you any idea what so ever that Musgrave did not suck as an OC??

I thought he was very adaptable in 2012, making great use of Harvin while Peterson was still recovering and then shifting gears to emphasize a power running scheme that helped AD break 2000 yards.

However, more than the above, the Vikings offensive productivity improved in each of his 3 seasons with the team and last year, despite somewhat dramatic issues at the QB position, the Vikes were still in the top half of the league in offense and scoring. I don't think any of the above is indicative of an offensive coordinator who "sucks". If anything, it suggests to me that if he'd had an upper echelon QB to run his system, he might have been able to field one of the better offenses in the league.

Musgrave frustrated me at times but I've seen far worse OCs over the years.

[King James]

Musgrave had of games where he looked like a elite offensive coordinator. His failure to implement his two tight end set, which was suppose to be a big part of our game when he got here. Yet he rarely got the ball in Rudolph's hands and the other TE we had was non existent. I forgot his name but the TE who came from Seattle. Then I see Rudolph light it up in the Pro Bowl and Eli Manning got more use out of him than Ponder was ever able to.

Musgrave was also too predictable. I cant count the number of times Ponder rolled to the right after a play-action. I know Musgrave was just trying to play to Ponder's strengths, but making the offense vanilla at the expense of Ponder really hurt us. And I wonder if Musgrave being a little more aggressive would've have helped us more than being conservative like we were.

I think this is why our offense will be better with Norv. He won't be afraid to take shots when the time is right. I know taking shots is not always the way to go but we were way too conservative.